Conclusion of THE BENEFITS OF DISFELLOWSHIPPING

Disfellowshipping keeps the congregation clean.  The apostle Paul warned the Corinthians of the danger of letting an unrepentant sinner stay in the congregation.  He compared the bad influence  of these sinners to that of leaven that causes a batch of dough to rise.  Paul said:  "A little leaven ferments the whole batch of dough."  Then he counseled them:  "Remove the wicked person from among yourselves." -1 Corinthians 5:6, 11-13. 

That "wicked person" practiced sexual immorality without any shame. Some in his congregation had even begun to excuse his bad conduct.  (1 Corinthians 5:1, 2) This was dangerous because other Christians could have been affected by the immoral lifestyle that was common in Corinth. Similarly today, if the c0ngregation ignores serious sin, some could begin to view Jehovah's standards as unimportant.  (Ecclesiastes 8:11) Just as  "rocks hidden below water" can cause  shipwreck, unrepentant sinners can destroy the faith of others in the congregation. 

Disfellowshipping may help the sinner realize he is wrong. Jesus used an illustration of a young man who left his father's  home and spent all his inheritance  living an immoral life.  The young man eventually realized that life away from his father's home and  no meaning. So he repented and decided to go back to his family.  The father was very happy  when he saw that his son had changed his attitude, and he welcomed him home.  (Luke 15:11-24) This illustration help us to understand how Jehovah feels when someone repents.  He says:  "I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that someone wicked changes his way and keeps living."  - Ezekiel 33:11.

The Christian congregation is our spiritual family.  When someone is disfellowshipped he is no longer  a part of that family. After experiencing the results of his bad conduct, he may realize  his mistake and remember how much happier he was when he had a good relationship with Jehovah and the congregation.  This may encourage him to come back to his spiritual family.  

To help a disfellowshipped person come back to the congregation, we need to show him love by being firm.  For example, imagine two hikers waiting to be rescued on a cold winter day. Because it is so cold, one hiker gets very tired and wants to sleep. But if he falls asleep in the snow, he will die. To help him stay awake, his friend slaps him in the face. Even though it hurts, it could save his life. David expressed a similar idea when he said:  "Should the righteous one strike me, it would be an act of loyal love." (Psalm 141:5)  David recognized that even though discipline was painful, it would help him.

Just like that slap, disfellowshipping  is often what a person needs  to come back to Jehovah, Julian's son, mentioned a the beginning of this article, changed his life and returned to the congregation  tens years after he was disfellowshipped. Now he is an elder.  He admits:  "Being disfellowshipped brought me face-to-face with the consequences of my lifestyle. I needed that sort of discipline." -Hebrews 12:7-11. 

Next time: Why Disfellowshipping Is a Loving Provision? -HOW CAN WE SHOW THAT WE LOVE DISFELLOWSHIPPED ONES

From the jw.org publications